When we first learned about the new Pokemon, moves, items and mechanics of Pokemon Black and White, I think we all wondered what it would mean for CAP. Our experiences with 4th Generation taught us that the CAP process often leads to optimization, so we were all on our toes about creating CAPs that were extremely strong. At the same time, 5th Generation shattered an incredibly number of our 5th Generation taboos: Chandelure and Haxorus reached levels of attacking stats we would be embarrassed to give a CAP, powerful abilities like Speed Boost and Magic Guard seemingly were given out like candy, while previously unremarkable Pokemon like Gorebyss and Huntail became absolutely devastating Baton Passers . In the early stages of CAP1, I wondered what this would mean for us. Would this power creep balance out our tendency to optimize? Would our desire to make a great product overpower our sense of metagame balance?

I have felt that though nearly every competitive stage of this process we have been wrestling with the tension of competitive balance. In order to deal with the monstrous threats we intended to face, like Excadrill and Landorus, we needed to produce a product that was amazingly strong. At the same time, we needed to be accountable to the criticism that CAPs tend to be optimized and overpowered. I believe that we did a very good job of walking the competitive tightrope with this CAP. I'm very confident that at the end of the 5th Generation, Tomohawk will be seen very differently than either Pyroak or Arghonaut were at the end of the 4th Generation.

Black/White OU is still very much a metagame in flux. Very few people could claim to really know what the metagame of the next Suspect period will look like, never mind what the end metagame will look like. We are still in the early stages of exploring Black and White, and the CAP project is all about exploration! I believe we have gotten off to a strong start, but there are still an incredible number of factors that we've barely scratched the surface of. I'm looking forward to see what directions future CAPs take us in, and of course to see the collective dreaming that will point us in those directions! :nerd:

Here is everything you could need or want to know about Tomohawk, our final product!

Concept: MomentumGeneral Description: This will be a Pokemon that can be utilized to gain or regain momentum for a player's team at any point in the match as its primary function.Justification: Gen. 5 is a very powerful metagame. As such, most battles are won by the smarter strategist who can best maneuver around his/her opponent's onslaught to gain even a single turn's advantage, potentially clinching them the match. This process of gaining and regaining momentum is most often the defining element that makes a winner and a loser out of a single Pokemon battle. Any top player in this metagame should agree that momentum is the most crucial element in any given match; however, "momentum" itself is a rather vaguely defined term that is never really explored in concrete terms. Is it keeping opposing teams on the defensive? Forcing switches? Good prediction? Spamming U-turn? These have all been approaches to achieving momentum, but they are also player-side and largely synonymous with "strategy," as opposed to Pokemon-side and regarding a Pokemon's role on the team. Certainly there are threats like Ferrothorn/Gliscor (defensive) and Scizor/Latios/Voltlos, etc., etc. (offensive) that can achieve momentum as we know it, but there is no current niche for a "momentum Pokemon" because the concept has been purely delegated to players and not to Pokemon. Questions to be Answered:
-How do we define momentum in terms of competitive Pokemon? What factors make current Pokemon able to achieve momentum and how can we incorporate that information into a successful CAP?
-How do different styles of play (Weather-based offense, stall, bulky offense, etc.) use momentum to achieve their goals and how can our CAP play to those strategies in an effort to take their momentum away?
-What type of traditional role (sweeper, tank, wall, support) would a Pokemon like this most resemble? Would it have to be able to fit more than one of these roles to fit in a variety of teams?
-How will the different playstyles be affected by the addition of a Pokemon that can regain offensive/defensive momentum at any given point? Will offensive teams play more conservatively? Will defensive teams play more recklessly? Will everything simply adapt to a new threat and move on normally?

*bursts in with an epic Final Submission
*Legend:
* - Move is repeated in this or a previous list
. - Move is (almost) required by a different move
! - Move is (almost) required by typing or ability
!! - Move is absolutely required by typing or abilityBold - A VGM that is not repeated in this or a previous list

I've taken quite a few creative liberties with the level-up movepool. This CAP is really breaking a lot of ground because it's primary Flying and a Fighting-type with a poor Atk stat. I've always wanted to do a "mage" type learnset, and the shamanistic nature of this CAP has given me the perfect excuse to do so (though my original dream was to reference FF1's Chaos :P ). The "elemental" moves here are Rain Dance, Earth Power, Air Slash and Heat Wave, with Hurricane eventually learned near the end as well.

This learnset is full of sneaky references, which is why I've filled it to the maximum reasonable number of moves. I've incorporated a few of the North American aboriginal creation stories involving the raven (the raven is originally white in Haida myths). It references a myth about the raven stealing the sun, moon, stars (Sunny Day), a firebrand (Heat Wave, I guess), and fresh water (Rain Dance) to give to the mortal world. Sky Drop is somewhat a reference to another myth involving the raven dropping a stone into the ocean to form land. There's also a legend about a seagull and the raven sticking a thorn into its foot, but Spikes is disallowed, so... Aerial Ace and Submission are also here to reference the Street Fighter character T. Hawk. (The anime depicts Aerial Ace as a low-altitude gliding attack, and Submission is similar to the grapple that T. Hawk does.)

The progression is simple enough. I believe that Tomohawk should start off with a "base" special move (Aura Sphere) because it's one of only three special Fighting-type moves. The theme here is that it starts off using naive physical attacks like Fury Swipes and then eventually learns to channel the energies of the spirits and use them. Harden is a reference to Cartoons's original concept, with the fur hardening to act like feathers. I also need a move to fit with Tomohawk's name, a reference to a light axe that is thrown. Giga Impact doesn't quite fit, so Superpower has made it in. Finally, I feel that Tomohawk should get some kind of mind-refresh before getting Hurricane, but Amnesia is banned, so Rest is there instead.

Healing Wish is a cool move IMO; it's kind of a reference to FF6's Sabin (not that anyone used Spiraler or whatever it's called now), but more than that, it just fits somehow with the whole shaman / chieftain deal that this CAP is getting.

Most of these are type-move and move-move (almost) requirements. I want to avoid putting in too many Psychic-type moves because I don't think that they fit with the concept (though Reflect is there). Thief is another reference to the trickster aspect mentioned earlier, and a stronger reference to the firebrand is made through Incinerate and Flash. However, despite other Fire-type moves usually being required with Heat Wave, I've chosen not to put them in because I'm already breaking the Fire-type monopoly on level-up Heat Wave.

I also don't have Cut because Tomohawk is an "axe", not a sword (Cut is "Iai Cut", a reference to a sword technique) and this movepool has no claw moves other than Fury Swipes.

Also known as the level-up rejects, honestly. Most of these are competitive moves that I really wanted on Tomohawk but couldn't fit into level-up or the machines. You may in particular notice my inclusion of Rapid Spin. Sorry, Delibird :( I think that this is a potentially great move for Tomohawk, and I'd personally like to see what Tomohawk can do with it. Will it be devastatingly effective like Excadrill, or will it be kind of lame like Forretress?

I've put Roost into the egg movepool because Tomohawk isn't really a bird (yeah, "Feather Rest", but still). But it still breeds with birds...? -.- Best not to think about it.

Total unique moves: 66
Total VGMs: 38

Some general comments

I'll admit that my movepool is mostly based on flavour, but the competitive theme here is a small but precise non-attacking movepool. I didn't put in every non-attacking move that "seems interesting" because there are way too many of them and a lot of the good ones are level-up/egg only. Let's be honest, here: Do we really need a super-bloated non-attacking movepool?

I've made an explicit effort to limit or outright avoid moves of the following categories:

Psychic-type (e.g. no Psych Up or Gravity)
Poison-type (e.g. no Sludge Wave)
Moves that modify anything other than Atk or Def (e.g. no Hone Claws)
Moves that can disrupt move choice (e.g. no Torment/Disable/Switcheroo)
Physical moves (all of the physical moves in this pool are justified by flavour or move-move guidelines)

I absolutely do not believe that most Psychic- or Poison-type moves make any sense on Tomohawk. In my view, Tomohawk should be using the powers of nature, not supernatural mind tricks or waves of garbage. (I don't quite get other people's justification of Mimic, either. Tomohawk is using a disguise, not copying others' actions.) I also want Tomohawk's Hurricane to get support entirely from rain or another Pokémon's Gravity, and not set it up for itself (other than with Rain Dance). I also find choice-disrupting moves potentially broken with this CAP, so I have excluded them. The movepool still does have some gems like bulky Substitute, Healing Wish, Memento, Roost and Yawn (arguably better than sleep if the opponent stays in).

You may have noticed that Baton Pass is this movepool's only switching move. Screw Volt Switch -.- Only Electric-types and Steel-types learn it. It doesn't make sense! Baton Pass is clearly the most effective switching move to include here, so that's what I have done.

I've also completely ignored move-move guidelines for Stealth Rock and Heat Wave. The main justification for this is that Tomohawk is not a Rock-type (or mainly rock-dwelling creature) or a Fire-type, so I'm violating "canon" a bit anyway by including these moves. I really didn't want to have to put in stuff like Sandstorm (doesn't make much sense to me) or Flame Charge (disallowed).

reachzero has done a spectacular job this CAP, the best of any TL I've had the pleasure of working with in CAP so far. He's been fair, timely, helpful, competitively-knowledgeable, and an example to all future would-be TLs. That and he's set CAP off on the ideal footing for Gen V. I'm very proud to have chosen to be his ATL, even if I couldn't submit for the parts of CAP I really love as a result. Good work reach, as well as everyone else that helped make this possible.

I will have Tomohawk implemented on the server within the next few days. This coincides with when I need to get April stats up for Smogon, so stats may take priority. I'll make a new thread when the playtest begins, though, so don't worry!